Is your hand a valid declaration? Choose the cut joker, tap your 13 cards and the checker tells you, with the best grouping and the reason. Tap 14 cards (your hand after drawing) and it finds the card to discard so you can declare. It uses the rules engine from our free Points Rummy game, so its answer is the one the game would give.
Loading the Rummy Declare Checker…
What a valid declaration needs
In 13-card Indian Rummy you can declare (also called a show) when all 13 cards are arranged into valid groups and:
- there are at least two sequences, and
- at least one of them is a pure sequence: three or more cards in a row of one suit with no joker. This is your first life.
The other groups can be sequences (with or without jokers) or sets: three or four cards of the same rank in different suits. Two decks are used, so a hand can hold two identical cards, but they cannot sit in the same set. Q♠ K♠ A♠ is a sequence; K♠ A♠ 2♠ is not.
Jokers: the cut card picks the wild rank (all four suits). Printed jokers are wild too. If the cut card is a printed joker, Aces are wild. A wild card can also stand as itself: 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ is still a pure sequence when 7s are wild.
How to use the checker
- Set the cut joker. The wild rank is marked on the cards.
- Tap a suit, then tap ranks to add cards. Tap a card in your hand to remove it. Each card can be added twice (two decks), plus up to two printed jokers.
- With 13 cards, you get a verdict: valid, or not valid and why (no pure sequence, only one sequence, or cards that fit no group). You also see what the hand would count if someone else declared now.
- With 14 cards, the checker tries every discard. If one or more leave a valid show, it lists them. If none do, it suggests the discard that leaves the lowest count.
Try an example loads sample hands, including some from our ten checked declarations.
Why a wrong show is so costly
A wrong show costs 80 points, the same as the worst possible losing hand, and twice a middle drop. A hand that is one card short of declaring usually counts far less than 80. That is why it is worth checking a doubtful hand before you declare. For the usual traps, including K A 2 runs, repeated suits in a set and a “pure” sequence that relies on a printed joker, read valid vs invalid declarations.
How the checker decides
The checker does not just look at your arrangement; it searches every possible way to split your cards into sets and sequences and picks the best one, exactly as the games do when they count a hand. If any valid arrangement exists, it finds it, so you do not need to sort your cards first. The verdict and the count follow the rules on our Points Rummy page.
FAQ
Can I declare without a pure sequence if I have three sets?
No. Every valid declaration needs at least one pure sequence and a second sequence. Four sets, or a pure sequence plus three sets, are not valid.
Is a sequence with a wild card in its natural place pure?
Yes. If 7s are wild, 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ is a pure sequence because the 7♥ is used as itself. The checker treats it that way.
Can a printed joker be part of a pure sequence?
No. A printed joker always stands in for another card, so a sequence that contains one is impure.
Does the checker work for Pool and Deals Rummy?
Yes. Pool Rummy and Deals Rummy use the same 13-card declaration rules. Only the scoring differs; for that, use the points calculator.
Can I check a 21 Card Rummy hand?
Not yet. 21 Card Rummy needs three pure sequences and has value cards, so it has different rules. See our 21 Card Rummy guide.